Wave motor driving mechanism



June'Zl, 1932. p c GRlGSBY 1,864,499

WAVE MOTOR DRIVING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 25. 192'? A TTORNEY PatentedJune 21,1932 f 1,864,499

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC RUSSELL COLE GRIGSBY, F STOCKTON,CALIFORNIA WAVE MOTOR DRIVING MECHANISM Application filed November 25,1927. Serial No. 235,631.

My invention relates to improvements in which are secured totheupstanding columns wave operated power plants and has for its 4 whichare disposed upon the bed of the primary object to provide a device ofthls ocean and secured by suitable piling or the characterwhich,-notwithstanding the interlike which is not shown.

3 mittent movement of the float under the im- The columns 4 may be ofany desired form pulses of the waves,is capable of generatand havediagonal beam portions 5 which ing a power medium of substantiallyuniform cooperate with the upper ends of the columns intensity or force.in supporting a platform 6.

A more specific object of the invention re- The platform 6 has a bridgeor extension sides in the provision of a wave operated 7 which reachesto the shore 8 and is suppower plant which incorporates a fluidcomported thereon. Mounted upon the platform pressor driven by the floatand which com- 6 and above the float 1 are a pair of laterally bines afluid driven motor which is operated spaced bearing standards 9 arrangedin parby the compressed fluid, the motor being allelism and whichprovide opposed bearings available for driving dynamos or machinery. 10for the shaft 11 upon which. is rotatably g;

The invention has for a still further object journalled thecircumferentially chambered to provide a device as characterized whichspur gear 12. Within the spur gear 12 is a will be of relatively. simpleconstruction, yet disk 13 provided with a circumferential series 0f suchstrength and durability as to withof pivoted pawls 14 which are urged bystand the hard wear to which it is subjected. springs 15 to engage thecircumferential se- The foregoing and other objects ofthe ries ofratchet teeth 16, which are provided invention will be readilyunderstood and apin the inner periphery of the chambered gear preciatedby those skilled in the art as the 12. The gear 12 is preferably made intwo description proceeds, reference bein had to parts and incorporates aclosure element or the accompanying drawing which il ustrates part 12for closing the chamber, as shown the now preferred form of theinvention. in Figure 4. o It is to be understood, of course, that theThe float 1 is provided with an upstanding invention is capable of othermechanical eX- rack bar 17 having teeth on opposite longipressionswithout departing from the spirit tudinal edges, one set of teethmeshing with so and scope of the invention, as claimed herethe teeth ofthe chambered gear 12, while the so inafter. other set of teeth meshwith a second cham- In the drawing, wherein the same parts bered gear 18loosely journalled on shaft 19 have been designated by the samereference which is carried in bearings 20 also secured charactersthroughout, to the bearing standards 9.

Figure 1 is an elevational View, partly in The chambered gear 18 issimilar in all re- 55 section and illustrating the power plant setspects to the chambered gear 12 and has thereup in the sea and ready foruse; in a disk 21 keyed to shaft 19 and which disk 1 Figure 2 is avertical cross sectional View is provided with pawls 22 urged by springs23 on the line 22 of Figure 4 and illustrating to engage the ratchetteeth 24, which are the drive gearing, fly-wheel and a portion of formedin the inner peripherial wall of the the connecting rod which attachesto the chambered gear 18. The only difference bepump or compressor;tween the arrangement of gear assemblies 12, Figure 3 is a sectionalview taken on the 16 and 18, 21 resides in the fact that the ratchline3-3 of Figure 4, and v et teeth 24 and pawls 22 act in the opposite 45Figure 4 is a top plan view of the gearing direction to the ratchetteeth 16 and pawls showing certain of the latter in cross section. 14 ofgear 12. Thus, when float 1 moves up Referring specifically to thedrawing, 1 wardly the hollow gear 12 will be actuated in designates afloat, diametrically opposite a clockwise direction to engage itsratchet sides of which are provided with grooved teeth 16 with the pawls14 of disk 13 to drive 5 rollers 2 for engaging the vertical tracks 3the shaft 11 in a clockwise direction. On

5 of the rack bar 17 under the influence of the float 1 the converse ofthe described action takes place. In other words, chambered gear 12 runslose on shaft 11 and shaft 19 is driven by chambered gear 18 throughratchetteeth 2f, pawls 22 and disk 21.

The respective shafts lland 19 also have keyed thereon spur gears 25,26, respectively, and each of said spur gears meshes withxanintermediate spur pinion 27 upon shaft 28 carried in bearings 29'; Theobject of the spur pinion 27 is to convertthe counter-clockwise motionof spur gear 26, on the down.

stroke of the rack bar 17, into clockwise motion for driving the spurgear and its shaft 11, which by the way is really the power shaft of thedriving unit.

On the outer end of the shaft 11 is keyed a fly-wheel 30 to which isconnected the piston 31 which attaches as at 32 to the pitman 33 of theair pump or compressor The air come pressor 3i has a base which issuitably mounted upon the platform, as shown in Figure 1.

As will be readily appreciated the operation of the float 1 up and downrotates the flywheel 30 in a substantially constant fashion driving thepiston 33 of compressor 34:,the fly-wheel storing up kinetic energy andas far as possible keeping the compressor operating without subjectingthe same to jerky impulses which would otherwise be manifest.

The compressed air from the compressor'34 passes through a pipe 35 andfrom thence through branch pipes 36, which may be controlled cylinders37.

T he compressed fluid from the reservoirs 37 is thus made available fordriving the air turbine 38 which is mounted on a suitable support 39.Connection is had with the fluid supply pipe 40 of the turbine from thereservoir 37 by means of valved out-lets tl. The reservoirs or cylindersmay have, and preferably will have, suitable gages for indicating theair pressure therein. However, such gages are common and have thereforenot been shown, since they form no part of the invention, per se, whichis thesubject of this application. the pressure in one cylinder 37 hasreached the certain amount the inlet valve thereof may be shut off andthe fluid compressed in the other cylinders. By using. the compressedfluid structure described herein it is possible to store up compressedenergy in the form of compressed air so that the air turbine can bedriven at such times when the seawill be'perfectly calm and. the floatoperated slightly if at all. The air turbine 38 shown has .its driveshaft 38 suitably connected to the armaby suitable valves 36, intostorage:

It will be obvious that when.

ture of a generator or dynamo 42 whereby electricity may be generatedand used to supply power for lighting and for driving machinery and thelike in the vicinity.

The fly-wheel 30 is preferably made in two parts,-na1nely an inner disk30 which is keyed to shaft 11 and an outer wheel portion 30 of heavymaterial The hub part'of the weighted wheelportion 30 iscoredout and theinner surface is provided with ratchet teeth 30 which. are adapted to beengaged by dogs 30 which are urged against the ratchetiteeth by means ofsprings 30 Thus the fly-wheel weighted portion 30 is permitted to--raceso-as-to speak, and run at a 30 faster speed than the disk 30. Forinstance, the impulses of the waves will vary and-if the weightedportion 30 of the flyv-wheel were rigidly attached to shaft ll'therewouldbe considerable strain upon the gearing whichwould be called upon,as a result ofthe 1nomentum ofthe fly-wheel, to actually lift'thefloat,as for'instance when a slight wave im pulse followed a very large waveimpulse:

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters 1 Patent is: i

In a drive gearing for a wave operativev power plant, comprising-anupstanding float, an actuated rack bar having rack teeth on 96 oppositeedges thereof, spaced parallel hearing standards, a main power shaftjournalled in said bearing standards, a two-part pawl and ratchet gearfordriving said main power shaft in a predetermined direction, said'two-100 part pawl and ratchet gear'engaging the teethat one side of saidrack, an auxiliary shaft parallel withsaid-main" power shaft, a twopartpawl and ratchet gear-mounted on said. shaft and adapted to drive saidsecond shaft through engagement'with the other series of rack teeth ofsaid rack bar when said'first' mentioned two-part gear is idling, a spurgear secured to each of said shafts, an idler gear disposed between andmeshing with eachl of said spur gears, a bearing supporting said idlergear, one of said bearing standards'an'd said bearing supporting saididler forming a space therebetween for confining the rack bar againstlateral shifting to PIGVGIltdlS- engagement of its teeth. from saidtwo-part pawl and ratchet gears, a flywheel on' said main power shaft,and a. ratchet driving con nection between said fly-wheel and main powershaft whereby the wheelfwillbe driven' by said shaft when the same isput in motion by the upward movement of saidfloatand the momentum of thewheel willcau'se it. to run free when theshaft slowsdown, orisstationary, all of said gears being between said standards and saidfly-wheel "beingdisposed closely adjacent the .outer side'of' one ofsaid standards.

In testimony whereof I afiixmy si nature."

RUSSELL COLE onre sBY; no

